The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1887-03-24

shaping a statue. He hasa chisel iu oue
hand and a mallet in the other and he
gives a very gentle stroke-clicS, Gle =,
clicki | say;
"why don't you strike hardcrl"
''Ohv' he replies, "ihat would shlttcr
do It this way"
SO he works on, aud after awhile the
features como out, and every body that
enters the studio IL charmed and fasCi-
mated.
Well, God has your soul under process
OF development, and it is the little annoy
auces and vexations of life that are Chisel-
ing out your immortal nature. IL ~ cl OK
click, clicSi | wonder why some great
providence, does not coIa,, and with one
stroke prepare you for heaven. All, no /;
God saws that is not TIN way. And so he
| keeps Oh by strokes OF little vexatious,
until at last you shall b. a glad spectacle
| for angels and for meI.
You know that large fortune may DO
spent in small change, and vast amount
Of moral character may go away in small
| depletion. 1t is the little troubles Of life
| that are having more effect upon you than
great OIes. A smarm Of locusts will kill
a grain field sooner than an incursion of
three or four cattle. You say:
since lost my child, since los: my
property, | have bccl diffcrcat man"
But you do not recDglzs the arch ter:-
ure Of little a1uoyaucss that are hewilg,
digging, eating, shaping, splitting ami
| inter- Dining your moral qualities. Rats
| may sink snip. One lucIfer match may
sead destruction through block of store
houses. Catherine de Me licis got her
death by smelling a poisonous rose
Columbus, by stopping and asking for a
| of hpN1 I q n | II 1viuly IF Nu tt - ut a
| Franciscan convent. was led to the dis
| Cove-y of a new world. And there is an
| intimate come ton bctw zen trifl IS AMI
| immcnsi.ils, betw tel nOthings and every
| things.
Now, be careful TO let none Of those an
noyanccs go through your soul unarra:sn.
ed. Compel them to administer to your
spiritual wealth. The scratch OF six
| penny nail some times produces lock- wv,
and the clip OF most infnitcsimal annoy
ance may damage you forever. Do not
| let any annoyance or pcrpleXity come
| across your soul without its making You
| better.
Our National Government does not think
it balittling to put tax on pins aud tax
on b. cxles, and tax Oh shoes. Tho indi-
vidual taxes do not amount to much, but
in III, aggregate millions aa1 millions Of
Christian man. put high tariff
on every annoyance AMI veX itiol
that come through your soul. This
IN ght not amount to much in single cases,
but, in the aggregate, it would be great
| revenue of spiritual strength and salts
| faction. A bee can suck honey even out
CT a nettle; and if you have the grace of
God in your heart, you can gct sweetness
out of that which would 9th erwise irri-
| tate and annoy.
A returned missionary told m that
company of advcnturers rowing up the
! GangeS were stung to death by flies that
| iufest that region at certain seasons. |
| have seen the earth strcwel with car
casses of men slain by insect annoyances.
The only way 10 get prepared for the
great troubles of life is to conquer these
small troubles. What would you say of a
soldier who refused to load his gun, or to
| 90 ifto tie conflict bCCause it was only q
| SIX rmlsh, saying:
| Il N not going TO eXpcnd my ammuai-
tion on a skirmsh; wait until there com IS
a general G engagement, and then you will
| see how coura -eouS | am and what bat
| thing | viii do"
| TIE General would say 20 such man:
| If Eou are OF faithful in siirmisa
| you would be nothing in a general enga &C.
| ment."
And | have to tell you, o Christian men,
| if You can not Apply the prilcip'ej of
| Christ's religion on a small scale you will
never be able to apply tn on a large
| scale.
| If had my way with you | would have
you possess all possible worldly prosper
| ity. Iwoul have YOU eacl one garden,
a rive f)winy tn 'ough it, geraniums
| md Oh. H., cid nd h
grass and flowers as beautiful as
though the rainbow had fIllea.
| would havs you a house, splendid man
sion, ami the bed should be covered with
! upholstery dipped in the setting sun. |
would have every hall in your house set
| with statues and statuettcs, and then |
would have the four quarters of the globe
pour in all their lu%uries on your table
and you should have forks Of silver and
knives of gold, inlaid with diam onds and
amethysts. Then you should each one of
you h I'VE the fl res horses and your pick
Of the cquipages of the world.
Tncn would have you live l50 years,
| and you should not have pain or ache
until the last breath
Not each one of u.s." you say.
| Yes; each one Of you.
| Not to your enemi9S!'
| Yes; the only fl renee / would make
with them wou'd b, that | woul pat lit
tie extra gilt on their walls and little
extra embroidery on their Slippers. Bat
| you say:
why does not God give US all these
| thing3!"
All! l bathink myself. He is wiser. 1t
| would make fools a I'd slugg lrls of US if
we had our way. No man puts his best
picture in thu pOrtico or vestibule of his
| house. God meant this world to be only
thu veStibule of heaven, that grca' gai-
lery of IN IL liver52 tow IA w.iica We are
aspiring. We must not have it too good in
this world, or we would want no helven.
| Polvclrp was condemned to be burnt to
death The stake was planted. He was
fastened to it. Thu faggDts were plac ID
around him, the fire kind.el, bat history
tells us that the fl lmoS bent outward l.ke
the canvas of ship in stout breeza, 50
that the flames, instead of destroying
Polycarp were only wall betweon him
and his enemies. They had actually to
destroy him with the poniari; the flames
would not touch him.
| Well, my hearers, | want you TO un ler-
stand that By Gods g'ach the flames of
trial instead of consul ming your soul, are
only going 10 be a wall of defense and a
canopy of blessing and the promise, as He
did to Polycarp.
When thou walkest through the fire thou
shalt not be burnt.
Now you do not understand; you shall
shall know hereafter In He wen you will
| bless God even for the hornet.
| o S